TTN Broad & Cecil: Shey Peddy named A-10 POY and Defensive POY

http://broadandcecil.temple-news.com/2012/02/29/shey-peddy-named-a-10-poy-and-defensive-poy/

(February 29, 2012)

Senior guard Shey Peddy has been named the Atlantic Ten Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the year, becoming the first player to win both awards since Temple’s own Candace Dupree did so in 2005 and 2006.

Peddy finished second in the conference with 17 points per game, second in steals with 3.1 per game, fifth in assist-to-turnover ration with 1.6, and third with 60 three-pointers.

Peddy’s numbers spiked during conference play as she helped lead the Owls to a 13-1 record in the A-10, good enough for the tournament’s second seed. She led the A-10conference season with 18.6 points per game and was first in assist-to-turnover ratio with2.5, second in steals with 3.1 per game, and sixth in assists with 3.8 per game.

Peddy beat out Dayton’s Justine Raterman (14.7 points per game), both of whom alsoreceived A-10 All-Conference first team honors. Richmond’s Abby Oliver and St.Bonaventure’s Jessica Jenkins and Megan Van Tatenhove round out the first team.

A four-time A-10 Player of the Week this season, Peddy also won the United States Basketball Writers Association’s National Player of the Week. She was also a candidate for the preseason Naismith Award watch, for the nation’s 35 best players.

She wasn’t the only Owl to receive conference honors. Senior guard Kristen McCarthy was named to A-10 Second Team for the second consecutive year. She was named to thefirst team in her sophomore year and the All-Rookie Team in 2008-09.

Peddy and McCarthy lead the Owls to action in the A-10 Conference Tournament, hosted by St. Joseph’s at Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena, on Saturday in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. They face the winner of the Duquesne vs. George Washington game. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m.

-Jake Adams

TTN: Alumna returns to North Broad for pro game

http://temple-news.com/living/2012/02/28/alumna-returns-to-north-broad-for-pro-game/

(February 28, 2012)

Fatima Maddox will return to North Broad Street, but this time wearing a Harlem Globetrotters’ jersey.

For the first time since 2007, Fatima Maddox will play on the court where she helped the Owls win their third consecutive Atlantic Ten Conference Championship. But instead of donning the Cherry and White, she’ll be wearing Harlem Globetrotters’ red, white and blue.

The last time Maddox stepped onto the court in the Liacouras Center, she was playing her final home game on senior night. She went on to score nine points on four of 10 shooting, grabbed three rebounds, and dished out four assists in a 74-64 Owls’ victory over Saint Louis.

The Owls were 11-0 in the conference at the time and looked for their fourth consecutive title.

Now Maddox returns to North Broad Street on March 9 to continue another winning streak, the one the Globetrotters have over the Washington Generals. She said she never thought she’d get another opportunity to play in a place she calls her second home.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play there again, so for me to be able to go back there as a Harlem Globetrotter, I’m ecstatic,” Maddox said.

“Just to be back in that environment, I mean, I remember it like it was yesterday,” she added. “Those are some of my best years of my life, playing in that gym.”

And instead of using crossovers on defenders to get an open shot, she’ll be using some of the flashier moves she’s learned the past few months to entertain a crowd full of young children and their families.

“I thought I was pretty good at dribbling and stuff like that, but [the Globetrotters] kind of showed me there’s different levels you can take each trick,” Maddox said. “It’s a lot of fun though.”

Maddox made history last fall when the Globetrotters selected her to be the first woman on the team since 1993. Since then, she’s spent plenty of time learning the tricks of the Globetrotters’ trade, putting in hours of philanthropy with the team’s “C.H.E.E.R. for Character” campaign and growing close to her teammates, separate locker room and all.

“Actually it’s not as bad as one might imagine,” Maddox said. “I get my own space, obviously, I get my own locker room. And the guys, truly they’ve embraced me and made feel like one of the family.”

The Globetrotters play three games in Philadelphia, two in the Wells Fargo Center on March 11, and another in Maddox’s old stomping grounds two days earlier. She said she’s excited to return and hopeful to get some time off to see friends and family and revisit Main Campus.

“I definitely would like to step in there and see how Temple has evolved,” Maddox said of potentially practicing in the renovated McGonigle Hall. “I hope we practice in there, I think that would be pretty cool.”

Since becoming the first Globetrottess in 18 years, Maddox said she’s received great support from Temple, but she also tries to stay up-to-date on the women’s basketball team.

“I definitely have faith in the program and what coach [Tonya] Cardoza is doing,” Maddox said. “And I’m pretty confident that they’ll finish out strong.”

So as the Owls rest from the A-10 tournament and potentially prepare for an NCAA Tournament appearance, Maddox will be preparing for her first of possibly many visits back to North Broad Street with the Globetrotters.

“For me to be a part of something so legendary, and a part of a team with such great athletes that played on the team – I’m on a team that Wilt Chamberlain played on – so I don’t know if it’s sunk in all the way,” she said. “But I hope that I’m around for a long time.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jake.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Cardoza prepares team for title run

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/02/28/cardoza-prepares-team-for-title-run/

(February 28, 2012)

The Owls’ seniors hope to capture the A-10 title.

Temple’s 71-44 win against La Salle on Saturday was just a formality as the women’s basketball team (20-8, 13-1 Atlantic Ten Conference) already clinched the second seed in the A-10 Tournament well before tip-off.

The Owls’ second-place finish for the regular season capped off another productive season with coach Tonya Cardoza at the helm.

“Right now we’re playing really good basketball,” Cardoza said. “It’s the last opportunity these seniors have to win a championship and I think their mindset is one that they don’t want to lose, they want to win and you can tell by the way that they’re playing the last few games that they’re really determined.”

In four years Cardoza has continued right where former coach, and the school’s winningest, Dawn Staley, left off. Cardoza has never finished lower than third in the conference regular season and her teams have never lost more than three A-10 games in one year.

Not many coaches have that kind of success right out of the gate in their first stint as a coach, said Cardoza’s former boss, Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma.

“I think in one sense it’s surprising because usually when coaches take over programs they struggle a little bit,” Auriemma said through a media representative. “But [Cardoza’s] just kind of stepped in and Temple’s not missed a beat, and they’re in the NCAA Tournament every year that she’s been there and it looks like they’re going to be there again this year.”

But Cardoza has struggled in the postseason when considering her success during the regular season.

Don’t get me wrong, Cardoza’s credentials with the Owls are impressive. Outside of the conference record (48-8) and having the second-most wins (90) in school history, she’s also the only coach in program history to reach the NCAA Tournament second round in two consecutive years.

But Cardoza’s squads haven’t fared as well as would be expected in the A-10 Tournament. She’s just 4-3, losing twice in the semi-finals and another time in the finals, despite always having a first round bye.

Last year the team lost to Xavier in the final game of the season, finishing 13-1, but the loss essentially ended their title hopes. The Owls were upset in the semis a week later by Dayton, who went on to lose to Xavier.

“We were on such a high,” Cardoza said about going into the Xavier game. “To be that close to winning a regular season championship, and losing to those guys at home in a close game, I think that going into the tournament, mentally we weren’t at our best.”

Temple rebounded and moved on to the second round in March Madness, but missed out on recapturing the conference title for the first time since 2006.

Cardoza said doesn’t feel like she’s missing anything right now, however.

“There are a lot of people that have been coaching this game for a long time that don’t have championships,” she said. “I definitely don’t feel like it defines me in any way.”

Maybe the team hasn’t had the same success because the A-10 Tournament requires not only talent, but endurance. It takes a lot out of players to play three straight days, and Cardoza acknowledged that she has to plan game strategies to account for that.

But to her credit, Cardoza spent 14 years learning from one of the game’s best, Auriemma, when she was an assistant coach. During her time on staff, Cardoza helped the Huskies win five NCAA National Championships.

“Just how to prepare teams, how to get the most out of them, taking advantage of the moment that you’re in, and winning basketball games,” Cardoza said about what she learned. “That’s what [Auriemma] does well, he finds ways to win basketball games and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
“I think he’s done everything he possibly can to put me in this situation,” she added.

But Cardoza may have her best chance for the foreseeable future at winning the A-10, with possibly her stronger group of seniors – guards BJ Williams, Shey Peddy, Kristen McCarthy and center Joelle Connelly – in her tenure leading the team.

“I think the way that we’re playing now, hopefully we’ll carry this momentum into the tournament,” Peddy said. “That would definitely be to our advantage as well.”

Cardoza, however, doesn’t feel this is her last shot for a few years.

“I have confidence in the guys that I’ve recruited to come in here that they’re going to come in here and play well, play hard,” she said. “We’re not taking anything for granted, but next year our goals are always going to be the same.”

The team, however, doesn’t feel any added pressure to win a title for its coach. They’re focused on winning the school’s first in six years.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had an A-10 championship,” McCarthy said. “But it wouldn’t be pressure at all.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Owls open up scoring

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/02/21/owls-open-up-scoring/

(February 21, 2012)
The emergence of Victoria Macaulay creates a wide-spread offense.

The women’s basketball team’s 21-point win against George Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 15 marked the second straight game the Owls had five players score in double digits.

On only two other occasions this season did four players score at least 10 points in the same game. Both of those games came during play in the Atlantic Ten Conference.

“I think if we had to start over from this point on our record would be different,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “I believe that we’re playing really good basketball right now. We have a lot of guys contributing.”

“It’s like a feeling, you know it’s getting closer,” senior guard Kristen McCarthy added. “We’re just trying to seize every moment. We’re playing with a sense of urgency right now and trying to win every game.”

For much of the season McCarthy and senior guard Shey Peddy carried the team, especially in scoring. At 16.6 points per game for Peddy, and 13.4 for McCarthy, they’re the only ones to average in double digits.

But junior center Victoria Macaulay and senior guard BJ Williams have stepped up during conference play, leading to a more diverse offensive attack and a stronger defensive unit.

Williams has 42 points during her last three games, but her job isn’t to score. Her job is to facilitate, and be the coach on the court. She leads the conference with 5.3 assists per game.

“That’s the type of point guard that you like, that knows exactly what’s going on, when to take over, when to take step back because she has other guys that are scoring and feeding them the ball,” Cardoza said. “And now she’s to the point where it’s like she’s that coach on the floor.”

But the real impact has come from Macaulay’s emergence. Once the central reason behind a struggling post game, Macaulay has now become a major threat in the paint. The 6-foot 4-inch center is averaging 10.3 points and 8.9 rebounds in conference play and leads the A-10 with 2.3 blocks per game during conference play.

Macaulay readily admits she didn’t prepare the way she needed to early in the season, but the team is happy she finally showed up.

“[Macaulay’s] emergence is definitely changing our game,” Cardoza said. “Our game plan now changes where we can throw the ball in more often and [we’re] confident that something good’s going to happen.”

“I think it’s very great,” McCarthy added. “Especially last year we had struggled in the post immensely, and now if we can get scoring in the post, and then we have three guys on the perimeter, it makes it that much harder to guard.”

The other, less noticeable, difference provided by the emergence of Macaulay and Williams has been the starting lineup. Cardoza has used the same lineup of Williams, Peddy, McCarthy, senior center Joelle Connelly and Macaulay for eight straight games.

Junior forward Brittany Lewis has lost minutes under the new lineup, but recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds against Massachusetts last week and another 15 points against George Washington as the team’s first option off the bench.

The improved play of Macaulay and Williams has solidified a once inconsistent offense. Temple averaged 60.5 points per game in the first 14 games, and has since averaged 69.1 points in their 12 conference games.

The defense has stiffened, too. The Owls lead the A-10 with 54.9 points allowed per game, rebounding margin, turnover margin, tied for first in blocked shots per game and are second in steals per game.

Even though she doesn’t consider herself a scorer, the offense clearly runs through Peddy, who’s second in the A-10 with 18.2 points per conference game. She’s also second with 3.2 steals per game during that time with conference-leading assist/turnover ratio of 2.4.

Peddy made it her mission before the season to win A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. Cardoza believes she’s still in the running, but Peddy’s offensive capabilities combined with her knack for picking pockets – she tied a school record with 10 steals on Sunday against Rhode Island – could make a case for A-10 Player of the Year instead.

“I still want Defensive Player of the Year,” Peddy said. “I don’t really think about scoring, or trying to score.”

And McCarthy is still a dual-threat with 15 points and 7.1 rebounds per A-10 game, both Top 10 in the conference. She’s an all-around complete player, capable of taking over any given night. But the team now has balance, with the recent emergence of Macaulay and Williams.

“The contributions that [Macaulay and Williams] have made this year, that’s the reason why we’re playing really good basketball, because of the emergence of these two guys,” Cardoza said.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Macaulay steps up in A-10 play

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/02/14/macaulay-steps-up-in-a-10-play/

(February 14, 2012)
Victoria Macaulay fills a void in the Owls’ frontcourt.

It’s night and day.

That’s what coach Tonya Cardoza called junior center Victoria Macaulay’s emergence during Atlantic Ten Conference play as a dual threat scorer and rebounder.

“Her whole game has changed and I’m happy to see it, because it’s rewarding to finally see something click,” Cardoza said.

Since the A-10 season started on Jan. 7, Macaulay has averaged 10.5 points and 8.9 rebounds, which puts her in the Top 5 in those categories for the conference during that timespan. In the past two weeks, she set career highs in points (21 vs. St. Joseph’s), shots made (nine vs. Fordham) and tied her career high of 13 rebounds against Saint Louis.

Once the center of criticism in a weak frontcourt, the 6-foot-4-inch Staten Island, N.Y. native is finally living up to the promise the coaching staff saw three years ago while recruiting her from Curtis High School.

Macaulay, who received little recruiting attention from college programs, was brought in with the idea that she would quickly become a starter. But for two seasons she struggled, never averaging more than five points or five rebounds a game. Cardoza tried to give her the reigns last year, but Macaulay didn’t earn the full-time starting gig until a loss against Duke at the end of December 2011.

After starting the final 21 games last season, Macaulay started just one of the first nine games this season. She lacked focus, work ethic and most importantly, confidence.

Cardoza said Macaulay got frustrated when she didn’t see her practice translate into game success and when the coaches tried to help her it was “in one ear and out the other.”

“That was the most frustrating thing, that in practice [Macaulay] would dominate and then when it was time to play she didn’t do those same things,” Cardoza said.

“The past two years I just wasn’t as serious as I am now,” Macaulay added.

Cardoza consistently pointed out Macaulay’s inability to take over favorable matchups.

“I really feel it was my fault not producing, not helping my teammates out,” Macaulay said.

Then something clicked.

A double-double of 14 points and 10 boards against Western Michigan right before A-10 play built some confidence. Cardoza believes it happened when Macaulay finally learned to slow herself down and digest what was going on.

“You know that she could do some things but she’d try to do it too quickly and now she’s just taken a step back and slowed her game down, and now she’s blossoming,” Cardoza said.

It’s something the team needs if they want to win their first A-10 title under Cardoza. Having a dominant center opens up the court for senior guards Kristen McCarthy and Shey Peddy, the focal points of the offense.

“They don’t have to look past me,” Macaulay said. “It’s not a guard’s game anymore, that feels good for us post players. We are options now.”

“The dynamic of the team has totally changed now, because now you might have to go double-team her,” Cardoza said. “Now you can’t play us a certain way because of our guard play. So she’s just opened it up for us.”

Macaulay has always been a little different from her teammates.

“She’s a diva,” Cardoza said. “The most important thing to her is how she looks, what her hair is looking like, her outfits.”

It’s ironic considering Macaulay plays a position notorious for physical play and it was something her teammates had to adjust to at first.

“Now she’s blended in well with them, where they appreciate her humor now, they love being around her and I think she enjoys being around them more so,” Cardoza said.

The chemistry is something she’ll have to build upon the rest of the season as the rest of the team is expected to feed her the ball more as she continues to dominate the paint.

But looking past this season, it will be even more important next year when senior guard BJ Williams, along with Peddy and McCarthy are gone and the focal point will turn to Macaulay.

Cardoza was once concerned that the team would struggle next year with freshmen guards Monaye Merritt, Tyonna Williams and Rateska Brown taking over for the graduating seniors. But that’s not the case anymore.

“The thing is, what she’s shown us now, there’s no going back,” Cardoza said. “You’ve shown everybody what you can do now, you have to live up to this.”

There’s also the added dimension that fellow center, senior Joelle Connelly, will be gone as well, leaving Macaulay as the lone true center on the team. While Cardoza stresses that they don’t need a big center in the A-10, it’s clear that not having someone to take the load off Macaulay while learning under her isn’t the ideal situation.

“I’ve been thinking about that a lot, because all the pressure might be on me but I do have to produce and dominate the post,” Macaulay said. “So the pressure really is going to be on me, but I think I can handle it.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Women’s basketball gears up for remaining A-10 play

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/01/31/womens-basketball-gears-up-for-remaining-a-10-play/

(January 31, 2012)
The Owls have eight A-10 remaining in the season.

Women’s basketball’s 65-55 win against Charlotte on Sunday gave the Owls a 5-1 record in the Atlantic Ten Conference, but more importantly gave the team four wins in five meetings against conference opponents with a .500 record or better.

The Owls have survived the toughest part of their conference schedule with eight games remaining. The only team left on the schedule with a winning A-10 record is St. Joseph’s (14-6, 4-2 A-10), who the Owls will face two times.

The combined record of Temple’s next eight opponents is 18-34 in conference play. By comparison the first six games were against opponents with a combined 26-8 A-10 record.

“Obviously you want to win every game that you play in and the fact that it’s been against some of the better competition, supposedly, in the A-10,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “Obviously that’s good for us. But there’s no cupcakes. I think that the parody in the A-10 is really great this year.”

Cardoza has traditionally been one to preach that no team is a bad team. And her team almost always buys into the philosophy.

“We don’t have one more big [game], I think we have eight,” Cardoza said about the remaining A-10 games. “We have eight big ones that we have to make sure that we take care of one at a time.”

Every win in the A-10 is a good win, while a big win against a top opponent doesn’t necessarily justify a great season. The conference is too wide open to dictate top and bottom teams.

ABI REIMOLD TTN Senior guard Shey Peddy was named Atlantic Ten Conference and Big 5 Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 23-29.

Cardoza also said the team isn’t focused on how A-10 leading St. Bonaventure is doing. The Bonnies are sitting atop the conference at 7-0, the only A-10 foe to beat the Owls this year. The Bonnies beat the Owls 74-65 on Jan. 11.

“That was our opportunity and we let it slip away and now we’re just focusing on the game in front of us,” Cardoza said. “We’re not looking and hoping.”

The third-place Owls are now a half game behind Dayton, who Temple beat on the road 61-57. They also have the tiebreaker against Charlotte and Richmond, who are the only teams outside St. Joe’s within striking distance.

Those tiebreakers will be critical down the stretch and securing a top seed in the A-10 tournament. Dayton, in many ways, holds the key to where the Owls finish the regular season. The Flyers host Charlotte and the Bonnies in back-to-back games next week. A Dayton win against St. Bonaventure – who they’re 4-1 against the past four years – and the Owls sit tie for first. And if Charlotte upsets Dayton and Temple takes care of business, the Owls take sole possession of second place.

Duquesne can also play a key role. The Dukes, at 3-3 in A-10 play, look like the most likely team outside Dayton to upset the Bonnies. During the past four seasons the series sits at 4-3 in favor of St. Bonaventure.

But this all depends on if Temple takes care of their own business and beats the teams they’re supposed to.

“There’s no easy games for us and we’re not expecting that,” Cardoza said. “We’re expecting everybody to give us their best shot and may the best team win.”

And that’s where St. Joe’s comes in. While outside forces could have a critical impact on the standings by the end of the season as the top teams beat each other up for the top seeds, the second half of the Owls’ A-10 season boils down to two matchups against the Hawks.

History favors the Owls, as they have defeated their Big-5 rival in 11 straight games. But St. Joe’s has never been an easy win as two of those wins have come in overtime and six have been decided by five points or fewer. And that’s what Cardoza is focused on.

“We know that it’s going to be a dog fight, and that’s what we expect,” Cardoza said. “We don’t expect St. Joe’s to play bad because they never do. They’re always going to play us well. We’re just hoping that we match their intensity level and do everything that we’re supposed to do and come out on top.”

Temple can’t afford to let these games get away, much less the other six on the schedule. They don’t hold their fate in their hands. Winning out secures them a top seed for the conference tournament, but they need help if they want the regular season title.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Owls’ senior guards lead offensive efforts in win verses 49ers

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/01/29/owls-senior-guards-lead-offensive-efforts-in-win-verses-49ers/

(January 29, 2012)

Led by 45 combined points by senior guards Shey Peddy and Kristen McCarthy, the women’s basketball team came away with their fifth win in Atlantic Ten Conference play, rolling over Charlotte 65-55.

Peddy and McCarthy made baskets early and often as the Owls jumped to a 24-7 lead in the opening minutes. The team’s leading scorers each had 19 points in the first half, while McCarthy was three rebounds shy of a double-double.

“We just started off very aggressive,” McCarthy said. “Charlotte’s a great team and we started off playing defense very well so that definitely helped our offense.”

“Shots went in for me,” Peddy said. “We got a pretty good look at the basket and was able to knock it down.”

Charlotte charged back with a 10-2 run but Temple stayed ahead by double digits for much of the first half before going into the break with a 41-34 lead.

The 49ers opened the second half with a trey from freshman guard Hillary Sigmon but the Owls responded with an 11-0 run before putting the game in cruise control. The second half turned out to be much more of a defensive struggle, as neither team shot above 30 percent from the floor.

“Defensively, I thought we did a really good job holding them to 55 points,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “Obviously [Peddy and McCarthy] definitely did a really good job for us scoring the ball early.”
Next up for the Owls is road match against the rival St. Joseph’s Hawks on Wednesday.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Freshmen guards and veteran centers lead Owls

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/01/23/freshmen-guards-and-veteran-centers-lead-owls/

(January 23, 2012)
Women’s basketball has a trio of freshmen guards ready to start.

The women’s basketball team’s defeat of Big-5 rival Penn saw a mix of the old and the new.

Senior guards Shey Peddy, Kristen McCarthy and BJ Williams gave way to the future – freshmen guards Monaye Merritt, Tyonna Williams and Rateska Brown – in garbage time of a 72-47 blowout.

“It was good to have all three of them out there, and playing together, and trying to figure things out on their own and not being able to look over to [BJ Williams and Peddy] for the answers,” coach Tonya Cardoza said.

It’s a critical time for the fledgling Owls, who have to learn quickly. Peddy, McCarthy and BJ Williams are the only guards on the roster with starting experience and all three will play their last games in March.

Next year there’s no more being weaned into the system. Next year Cardoza will push Merritt, Tyonna Williams and Brown into starting roles. And the process has already begun as Tyonna Williams and Merritt are consistently coming off the bench to spell the seniors.

“They know that we’re counting on them and that they’re not freshmen, they’re not regular freshmen,” Cardoza said. “We need them to play for us.”

“I think from the beginning to now they definitely have matured,” Peddy added. “I think they feel the pressure. They can no longer see themselves as just being freshmen because they have to step up. We need them down the stretch.”

The pressure they feel is the pressure of replacing two of the best guards to walk into Temple in McCarthy (1,433 career points) and Peddy (1,605 career points at Wright State and Temple).

“[Tyonna Williams] tries to be the leader out there, which is good because that’s her personality,” Cardoza said. “Obviously I want [Merritt] to be that leader because she’s the [one] with the ball in her hands. But I thought they did a really good job, especially down the stretch being able to still defend them and not turning the ball over, making good decisions on offense.”

JAZMYNE ANDERSON TTN Freshman guard Monaye Merritt is one of three freshmen guards to see playing time for the women’s basketball team this season. Merritt averages 11.6 minutes per game.

“Whoever’s out on the floor they’re playing with confidence and that’s half the battle right there,” Cardoza added.

Tyonna Williams has seen the most action this season, playing in 17 games and starting two. The Maryland native has averaged 3.5 points in 15.7 minutes per game, including a career-high 11 points in a loss to Rutgers in November.

“I think [Tyonna Williams] plays with an amazing amount of energy and emotion, and I love that about her,” BJ Williams said. “I know that she’s going to come in and she’s going to try as hard as she can, and she’s going to give me that energy and that spark off the bench.”

Merritt hasn’t been as flashy, but has shown a better ability to run the offense with each game. The lone Philadelphian on the team, she’s played in 12 games and averaged 1.8 points and 12.1 minutes per game, including a career-high six points in the Owls’ win against Dayton last week.

“[Merritt is] a perfectionist,” BJ Williams said. “Once you get [her] to get out of her head and just play basketball [she’s] excellent and you saw that in the Dayton game.”

Brown has been left behind a bit compared to her classmates. She’s played in 10 games, averaging two points and 6.3 minutes per game. The Owls’ signed a fourth freshman guard, Shaniqua Reese, but she was injured in the preseason and is currently not on the roster.

Life hasn’t been easy for the freshmen trio. Every day in practice is a battle with the upperclassmen, but it’s all meant to prepare them for next year.

“I feel like just how much we pressure them and get on them in practice, next year when the freshmen come in they’re able to take that and apply it to them,” Peddy said. “I feel like next year they’ll be ready and be able to handle that.”

“I think that right now they’ve jumped over the hurdle where they know what’s expected of them,” Cardoza said. “And when they don’t do it I think it bothers them.”

Despite the “lead” that Merritt and Williams have on Brown and Reese, it’s anybody’s ballgame next year to fight for the starting spots.

“I don’t know,” Cardoza said of who she thinks will be starting where next season. “I mean I don’t. They have the opportunity. Obviously they’re going to have the experience over the [ones] that come in as freshmen and hopefully they take advantage of that.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Peddy’s double-double propels Owls over Duquesne

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/01/18/peddys-double-double-propels-owls-over-duquesne/

(January 18, 2012)

The women’s basketball team started off cold, got hot, took control, then lost it and yet somehow managed to pull away in the final seconds in a narrow victory over Atlantic Ten Conference rival Duquesne.

Thanks to 22 points and 11 rebounds from senior guard Shey Peddy the Owls held on for a 67-64 win that brings their record to 9-8, and 3-1 in the A-10. It is their first time with a winning record since Temple was 2-1 on Nov. 18 following a loss to No. 24 Ohio State.

“Obviously, that was a heck of a game,” coach Tonya Cardoza said.

The Owls were without starting junior forward Brittany Lewis, who was out with an undisclosed sickness. Cardoza was forced to start freshman Tyonna Williams as the third guard and move senior guard Kristen McCarthy to forward. Temple was left with just three true post players— junior center Victoria Macaulay, and senior center Joelle Connelly and sophomore forward Nikki Works coming off the bench.

“It hurt us a lot, because we’re already short in the post position,” Peddy said.

“[Williams] actually made it so that it didn’t hurt us,” Cardoza said. “[She] played with a lot of confidence, she was attacking, being aggressive on defense.”

Surprisingly, senior guard BJ Williams and Peddy made a point to feed a short-staffed front court the ball early and often. Macaulay had six points, as the guards consistently fed her the ball, and she made plays on the boards, matching her A-10 season average with 11 more rebounds on the night. She came into the night leading the conference in rebounds per game in in-conference games.

“It’s just what we saw on the court,” BJ Williams said. “[Macaulay] can make layups and she can get shots all day and it’s just about her having that confidence.”

The Owls also struggled at times with the Dukes’ full-court press, committing an uncharacteristic 23 turnovers, including five from BJ Williams.

“It was me, obviously,” she said. “[The turnovers] that I had were just me not using my head. At the end of the first half I started to see things and things started to open up more, and everybody became an option.”

The Owls opened up in a 2-8 hole, before mounting a comeback. But Temple was unable to take control of the game for much of the first half. After falling behind 17-24 with seven minutes remaining, the Owls went on a 14-2 run before closing the half with a 35-29 lead.

Another 5-2 run to start the second half for the Owls was quickly squandered as the Dukes made the game close once again and took the lead 49-48 after a layup by sophomore forward Wumi Agunbiade. Duquesne, however, was unable to maintain the momentum and Temple pulled away again with a 65-58 lead with just 35 seconds remaining.

But costly mistakes by the Owls gave new life to the Dukes, who went on a 6-0 in the next 25 seconds to pull within one before Peddy iced the game with two free throws on a 1-and-1.

“We had a pretty comfortable, I thought, lead down the stretch and we made some unnecessary, inexcusable plays where we’re stopping the clock and allowing them to set their pressure,” Cardoza said.

The Owls got a very strong performance from their three-headed attack of McCarthy, BJ Williams and Peddy. The trio combined for 47 points, 22 of the team’s 43 rebounds, and nine of the team’s 12 assists.

The win gives Temple new life in the early goings of the A-10 season, as they climbed from fifth to third in the standings with losses by Richmond (2-2 A-10) and La Salle (3-1 A-10). The win is the second hard fought victory after a tough loss to 4-0 St. Bonaventure on Jan. 11. The Owls knocked down co-A-10 favorite Dayton (3-1 A-10) on Saturday.

“It means a lot, because these are two of the tougher teams in our conference,” Cardoza said. “They have been for the last few years. So to be able to beat [Duquesne] on our home court, and to beat Dayton on theirs, that says a lot.”

The Owls return to action on Saturday in McGonigle Hall against Big 5 rival Penn. Temple lost to Villanova on Dec. 22 in their only Big 5 match this season, and will face St. Joseph’s and La Salle in the last two games of the year.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Owl to globetrottess

http://temple-news.com/living/2012/01/16/owl-to-globetrottess/

(January 16, 2012)
Fatima Maddox, former member of Temple Women’s Basketball, signed with the Harlem Globetrotters two years after leaving North Broad and after several seasons abroad in Sweden.

PAUL KLEIN TTN Fatima Maddox takes a shot in her new Harlem Globetrotter’s uniform. Maddox joined the team two years after leaving the Temple Women’s Basketball Team.

Fatima Maddox wanted to be like Allen Iverson.

Watch her game on YouTube and you’ll see the same broken ankles and lightning quick ball handling that made Iverson one of the hardest guards to defend as a Philadelphia 76er.

But there’s something about Maddox, a former guard for the women’s basketball team that won the last Atlantic Ten Conference title in 2006, which draws some separation from her idol and it involves her positive view of practicing.

“[Maddox] was great,” former coach Dawn Staley said. “She was a gym rat. She was one that loves to be around the game and she was open to learning. She had incredible speed.”

Well, all that practice finally paid off for the five-foot, seven-inch Maddox, who her new teammates call “TNT.” Her new teammates just happen to be the Harlem Globetrotters.

“That in itself is pretty honoring, that they think that I’m explosive on the court,” Maddox said. “I like it.”

After two years in the Cherry and White (9.7 points and 2.4 assists in 57 career games), and several years overseas playing professionally in Sweden, Maddox returned home to Philadelphia and promptly became the ninth woman in Globetrotter history, and the eighth Owl.

“It really didn’t surprise me that she could accomplish such a feat and be one of the female Globetrotters,” Staley said.

However, Maddox never intended to become a Globetrotter. For most of her life she dreamed of playing in the Women’s National Basketball Association and recently spent the past few seasons playing in Sweden.

“She told me that she wanted to play [professionally],” Staley said of Maddox’s years at Temple. “I was really frank with her and let her know that guards playing overseas and professional, they come a dime a dozen.”

“The experience was wonderful,” Maddox said of playing in Europe. “I recommend it for anybody, just to get out of the country and meet different people. It really opens your mind.”

But while in Philadelphia during the offseason she heard that the team that’s featured Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain was looking for a woman to wear the red, white and blue for the first time since the early 1990’s and she couldn’t pass it up.

“It was a little bit random, just because never in my wildest dreams did I think that the Harlem Globetrotters would be interested in having me on the team,” Maddox said of trying out for the team. “I didn’t really know what to expect, so I just did what I do best. I worked my hardest, especially on defense, and I tried to be a good communicator, something that I learned at Temple.”

Staley emphasized that the honor is not something that should not be taken lightly.

“[Maddox] gets to say she was a Globetrotter, something very few women have the opportunity to put on her résumé,” Staley said.

Maddox can now be named among the short list of female Globetrotters. The most famous “Globetrottess” was the first, Hall of Famer Lynette Woodard in 1985, who was one of the key players involved with the WNBA and women’s basketball in Europe.

“Instantly I was just honored that I could call myself a Harlem Globetrotter now and be part of that rich tradition,” Maddox said. “Those women, they were very good basketball players, so the bar is high but I look forward to the challenge.”

But it’s not really about breaking the gender barrier for Maddox, she just wants to play the game.
“I don’t know if she looks at it like that, because she’s such a basketball player,” Staley said. “Regardless of her sex, she’s a basketball player. She loves to play.”

“I’m very fortunate to be a part of history,” Maddox said. “Right now I’m just hoping to be a Harlem Globetrotter for many years to come.”

But for all the honor and enjoyment she has experienced, Maddox said she still has more work to do to improve her game.

“You want to learn your trade,” Maddox said. “You want to become good at your craft. I’ve been working really hard on some of the tricks. I practice a lot but I’m no stranger to practice.”

Maddox joins a unique “rookie class” of Globetrotters, which features the tallest—seven-foot, eight-inch Paul “Tiny” Sturgess—and shortest—five-foot, two-inch Jonte “Too Tall” Hall—players in team history. The team also adds the 2011 NCAA Slam Dunk Contest winner Jacob “Hops” Tucker who reportedly has a 50-inch vertical.

As a member of the team, Maddox be involved in community service as well, participating in various speeches, charity efforts—including the “C.H.E.E.R. for Character” program for school-aged children—and numerous off-the-court ventures.

“I’m thrilled to be a Globetrotter, even more honored and proud to be able to put on the jersey and represent not only as a Globetrotter but just as a woman,” Maddox said. “Showing other women and young ladies that anything is attainable if you keep a positive attitude and you work hard.”

“Being a Globetrotter just wraps up everything that I’ve been about, not only playing basketball professionally, but I get to reach out and try to help someone else,” she added.
And now she gets to come back home and tour the country.

“If she comes anywhere near South Carolina, Charlotte or Charleston, I’ll definitely go down to see her play,” Staley said.

On March 9, she’ll return to North Broad Street for a game in the Liacouras Center and on March 11 for two games at the Wells Fargo Center.

“Philly is a second home for me, and I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends there,” Maddox said. I’m really happy that I’ll be able to come back and just play in front of them and show them that my hard work paid off.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Owls fall to Bonnies in A-10 play

http://temple-news.com/sports/2012/01/12/owls-fall-to-the-bonnies-in-a-10-play/

(January 12, 2012)

Senior guard Kristen McCarthy remained white-hot in the Liacouras Center with a season-high 21 points on Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough for the women’s basketball team to overcome an equally hot St. Bonaventure squad.

McCarthy kept up her streak of five-games with double-digit points, averaging 16.8 points during the stretch, including an Atlantic Ten Conference Co-Player of the Week Award.

“I’ve just really been trying to really focus more,” McCarthy said. “Just having a good mental focus. It means nothing if we can’t come up with the win. But I’m just trying to do what I can for my team and just trying to win every game.”

Senior guards Shey Peddy and BJ Williams tacked on 17 and 14 points, respectively, alongside McCarthy but it wasn’t enough to stop the Bonnies. The 74-65 loss at home drops the Owls to 1-1 in A-10 play.

St. Bonaventure opened up the game 8-2 off back-to-back three’s. That remained the theme for the night as the Bonnies connected on seven of 15 from downtown, including five of eight in the first half.
Temple was never able to slow down their long-range game.

“The fact that they got 15 off is very disappointing,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “Last year, obviously, we did a better job of defending the three-point shot and we actually sat down and guarded them a little bit better.”

The Owls stayed close in the early part of the game, but 16-2 run by the Bonnies in just a three-minute span halfway through the first half put Temple in a hole they couldn’t dig out of. The closest they would get the rest of the game was six points, which they did twice in the second half.

“This is a very disappointing loss, but we knew coming into the game that this was going to be a very difficult game,” Cardoza said. “St. Bonaventure’s playing really good basketball. They’re a well coached team.”

“They play to their strengths, and I thought they did an excellent job of attacking us on offense and then making it difficult to score on the other end,” Cardoza added. “So my hat goes off to them and the job that they were able to do tonight.”

The Owls return to action on Sunday against A-10 preseason-co-favorite Dayton. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu

TTN: Owls suffer from shooting woes in loss to Nova

http://temple-news.com/sports/2011/12/22/owls-suffer-from-shooting-woes-in-loss-to-nova/

(December 22, 2011)
The women’s basketball team shot a season-low field goal percentage (25.5) in its 56-47 loss to the Villanova Wildcats on Thursday at McGonigle Hall.

While Tuesday night’s game against UCLA found senior guard Shey Peddy on the ground in the final seconds throwing up a prayer to ice the game, tonight’s game against Villanova wasn’t so wonderfully ugly.

Peddy was knocked to the ground more than her point total, 13, in a physically grueling loss to the Owls’ Big Five rival, 56-47. She ended up shooting a paltry three of 14 from the floor.
“It just wasn’t falling like I wish they were,” Peddy said.

“Yeah, it was pretty physical,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “Every other play we had someone knocked down. I thought they were out for good.”

The Wildcats out-hustled, out-worked and physical beat down Temple in a game that was rarely close from the beginning, with the visiting squad jumping out to a 9-0 in less than three minutes. Villanova never looked back, and their lead dipped down to two just once all night.

“Obviously that’s not how we wanted to come out and perform today,” Cardoza said. “Credit to them. They did a really good job of taking advantage of mismatches and defensive clogging the lane and not letting our guys really get any clean looks inside on drives.”

“We have trouble running our offense against them, because they’re such a good defensive team in terms of their lateral movement,” Villanova coach Harry Perretta said. “So what we tried to do today was take that out of the game, throw the ball to our post kids.”

The loss drops the Owls to 5-6 and 0-1 in the Big Five. With the victory the Wildcats took a commanding 3-0 lead in the race for the Big Five Championship with one more game against Penn.

“This really hurts, because this was an important game for the Big Five championship,” senior guard Kristen McCarthy said.

McCarthy lead the game with 14 points, bringing her within eight points of fifth place in school history. She also recorded seven rebounds.

“That’s really the least of my concerns,” McCarthy said about the points record.

Villanova came out aggressively from the start and never let off the gas until the final buzzer. The team shot 37.7 percent on the night, including 48.1 percent in the first half. Redshirt freshman Emily Leer tied for a team-high 13 points, setting a career high.

“I just thought the game today was a battle,” Leer said. “Big Five games always are, and all the girls played really, really hard.”

“We had a talk yesterday, and I told her just keep doing the things she’s been doing,” Perretta said.
After falling behind quickly 9-0 in the first half the Owls clawed back with their own 7-0 run. But that was as close as they could get, just over four minutes into the game. The Wildcats quickly responded with another 11-0 run and Temple never got within six for the rest of the half. The second half was much of the same, with Villanova struggling to make shots but the home team only knocked the deficit to four points once.

After the game Cardoza was noticeably upset about the way her team focused and the effort they showed. She was not afraid to call out her three senior leaders—McCarthy, Peddy and senior guard BJ Williams.

“A lot of times we have a lot of guards out there that stand around and watch and don’t really look to attack,” Cardoza said. “But [Villanova] do a really good job of putting bodies on people and making sure they don’t get offensive boards.”

Throughout the game the Owls struggled to connect from three, and even had problems spreading the ball to the outside, consistently settling for jumpers or trying to drive the lane. The team has averaged 4.9 a game this season, noticeably lower than last year when then-senior guard Qwedia Wallace set a school record with 162 career three’s.

“Defensively we were a better team last year because [we had Wallace and forward Marli Bennett] who were smart defenders,” Cardoza said. “And we missed that today.”

The Owls shot just 25.5 percent from the floor on the night. Villanova’s bench was the key, as they outscored Temple’s bench 24-6.

“We’re much deeper than we were last year, and we’re committing ourselves to running more,” Perretta said.

“Today we were somewhere else mentally,” Cardoza said. “We weren’t focused in on how we were going to defend them.”

The Owls have eight days to rest, heal and regroup before they host No. 9 Duke on Dec. 30 in McGonigle Hall.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Women’s basketball downs UCLA

http://temple-news.com/sports/2011/12/20/womens-basketball-downs-ucla/

(December 20, 2011)

The Owls (5-5) held a lead against UCLA for nearly the entire game as they went on to win 59-53 on Tuesday at McGonigle Hall.

CONNOR SHOWALTER TTN Coach Tonya Cardoza congratulates freshman guard Monaye Merritt for her game performance (four points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals) at the press conference.

The shot should never have had a chance in the world to fall, but the heave that left senior guard Shey Peddy’s hands as she fell to the floor in front of the foul line somehow found the nylon.

“I was going to try to beat [the defender], but she cut me off,” Peddy said. “[I tried] a step-back move but my knee buckled and I just knew I was falling. I didn’t want to turn it over so I just knew if I threw it on the rim somebody would get it, and it just went in.”

Peddy was nearly on her back when she put up the prayer shot with 15 seconds left in the game and her team clinging to a 56-53 lead against UCLA. The Bruins were on a 10-2 run and were looking for the dagger to tie the game before Temple’s leading scorer stuck her own dagger, proving once again why she’s on the early-season watch list for the Naismith Award.

“You know, you’ve got to work on junk shots,” Peddy said with a smile. “They might come in handy sometimes.”

It was a near mirror of the first half as well, when Peddy put up a runner to beat the buzzer that put her team up 29-25 at the break and stopped an 8-2 Bruins’ run.

Temple took the momentum Peddy gave them after halftime and kicked off the second half with a 9-1 run.

“I thought that was really good because we started showing emotion with each other,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “You could see the fire in each other, like when someone made a great play or a big shot,”

But UCLA didn’t back down, coming within four or fewer points six times in the final 16 minutes. But Peddy made six of Temple’s last eight points that slowed the bleeding. Her 18th point of the night stopped it all together at 58-53.

“They’re a really tough team. They pushed us all the way to the edge,” Cardoza said. “But today I thought that our guys just fought to the very end. We didn’t back down.”

It was an unusually night for the Owls. UCLA converted 41.1 percent of their shots, including 60 percent from three-point land, something Temple doesn’t allow often.

“They’re all shooters and we tried to limit their shots and switch on the screens,” Peddy said. “But I think for the most part we stuck to the plan and we executed pretty good.”

Cardoza also had to rely on freshman guard Monaye Merritt more than usual. Merritt played a season-high 20 minutes after senior guard Kristen McCarthy sat most of the first half in foul trouble. McCarthy scored seven points, leaving her 12 points out of fifth place on the all-time points list in school history.

When Merritt re-entered the game in the second half, UCLA targeted her relentlessly in a full-court press.

“I think that coach put me in the game because she believes in me and has confidence in me, and gives me a boost to have even more confidence in myself,” Merritt said. “So for them to put full-court pressure on me, it’s just like practice with [Peddy] or BJ [Williams] guarding me. It’s get the ball up the floor, do what you have to do.”

The Owls also received little offense help from the centers, junior Victoria Macaulay and senior Joelle Connelly. The duo went scoreless and tallied 11 combined rebounds.

“It’s just a mindset and being confident and finishing,” Cardoza said. “Right now it’s something simple and easy, and they’re making it more than it really is. I think right now it’s just in their heads, and they’ve just got to let it go.”

Fortunately for the Owls, senior guard BJ Williams and junior forward Brittany Lewis picked up the slack. Williams recorded 13 points and a game-high nine assists, while Lewis tacked on 15 points.

Meanwhile Bruins’ sophomore guard Thea Lemberger and junior forward Markel Walker led the Bruins with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Walker also had a game-high eight rebounds.

The Owls return to action on Thursday against rival Villanova in their fourth game of their five-game home stand. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Women’s basketball cruises over Kent State

http://temple-news.com/sports/2011/12/07/womens-basketball-cruises-over-kent-state/

(December 7, 2011)

It took just 12 seconds for the women’s basketball team to fall behind to Kent State, and another 19 seconds to make sure it was the only time that would happen.

After a quick layup by Golden Flashes’ junior forward Diamon Beckford to start the game the Owls answered with a dismantling 15-0 run and never looked back. Thanks to a defense that seemed to be two steps ahead of Kent State all game long Temple walked away with a comfortable 68-33 victory at home on Tuesday.

Junior forward Natasha Thames missed the game due to an injury she sustained in the Owls previous game against Auburn. Thames will sit out for the remainder of the year and the specific injury was unreleased.

“I thought that was one of the best defensive games we played this year,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “I thought we did a really good job of getting out and pressuring their passers, getting in the passing lanes, and making things difficult for them.”

Kent State didn’t score their second basket until freshman guard Itziar Llobet drained a three halfway through the first half. After getting the score to 19-10 off a trey by Beckford the Owls went on another 11-0 run, with senior guard Shey Peddy tacking on six of 13 points during the stretch.

“I felt pretty good,” Peddy said. “My shot wasn’t falling so I tried to make up for it on defense and do all the little things.”

Peddy was all over the floor for the Owls in a game that the home team led by as many as 37. She recorded another four steals, bringing her total to 26 on the season. But she was outshined in that department by a surprising six steals by senior guard BJ Williams.

“It’s okay,” Peddy said with a smile. “She’s entitled to one game.”

Peddy at times seemed like she was trying to play center, recording multiple rebounds under the basket in traffic. She finished the game with a season-high seven rebounds, two behind junior center Victoria Macaulay on the night.

As a whole, Owls dominated in nearly every category, especially on defense. Temple controlled the paint with 52 rebounds compared to 24 by the Golden Flashes and forced 24 turnovers. Kent State was also held to a dismal 28.3-percent shooting.

“I thought for the most part we understood what they were going to be running and we had to be in position to make sure that we help out,” Cardoza said. “And I definitely thought that we did a good job of clogging the lane.”

Temple got tremendous help from second-chance points—22 compared to Kent State’s five—and outscored the Golden Flashes in the paint 40-12.

Junior forward Brittany Lewis led the game with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and tacked on five rebounds. She’s quietly become the Owls third leading scorer averaging 8.33 points per game.

“I think [Williams and Peddy] do a good job of finding the open person and tonight that’s what it was,” Lewis said.

Senior guard Kristen McCarthy recorded another 13 points on the night, boosting her career total to 1,310 and 23 points shy of fifth in school history.

The win is the Owls’ second straight. The team is in the middle of a roller-coaster season, having bookended a five-game road losing streak with two consecutive wins.

“I feel our confidence is way higher than it was last month,” Peddy said. “Hopefully we don’t go back to how we played last month.”

In Temple’s four wins this season they have held their opponents to 46 points a game and outscored them by an average of 22.75 points. In contrast, the Owls allowed 65.8 points per game and lost by 8.8 points on average.

The team hopes to continue their winning streak during winter break when they face UCLA (Dec. 20), Villanova (Dec. 22) and No. 7 Duke (Dec. 30) at home. The two weeks off comes at a rough time for an Owls team that feels like they’ve just found their groove heading into three challenging matchups.

“Now I think these guys are getting more confidence and understanding exactly what we need to do to win basketball games,” Cardoza said. “It just stinks that we have to go to break now.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Late game miscues cost Owls in losses

http://temple-news.com/sports/2011/11/29/late-game-miscues-cost-owls-in-losses/

(November 29, 2011)

The women’s basketball team traveled to the Bahamas to play St. John’s and the NCAA defending champion Texas A&M.

Well this certainly wasn’t a part of the game plan.Looking at the first few games of the season and the roster that the women’s basketball team was bringing to the court, it would have been pretty tough to imagine the team being 2-4 with a four-game losing streak this early in the season.Coach Tonya Cardoza agreed it wasn’t the way she thought the Owls would start off the year.

“Looking at the schedule, I knew No. 5 Texas A&M was going to be one of those teams where we had to do everything right, and we didn’t,” Cardoza said. “But the other games [against No. 24 Ohio State, Northern Illinois and St. John’s] I definitely thought if we played a little smarter and we did things a little bit better, they’re definitely winnable games.”

Granted, the Owls faced defending national champion Texas A&M last Friday at the Junkanoo Jam in Freeport, Bahamas. If Temple would have come away with the upset it would have been one of the best wins in the history of the program.

St. John’s isn’t a pushover either, but it was hard to imagine the Owls losing four straight, much less losing four straight the way they did.

Temple has been hit hard by the turnover bug in their four losses, something that was rare last season. They’ve averaged 18.75 turnovers in the past four games including 27 against Texas A&M, whereas last year they averaged just 13.6. But turnovers haven’t been the only problem.

“It’s not one thing, I think it’s a few things,” Cardoza said. “We’ve been turning the ball over a lot and that’s something that we didn’t do at all last year.”

“And we’ve committed some really, really bad fouls,” she added. “I would say the thing we really have to improve on is being mentally tougher down the stretch.”

The Owls have not been mentally tough the past few games. Against the Buckeyes, Temple cut a 16-point deficit down to two in the final seconds, but lost. At Northern Illinois they held a 9-point lead midway through the first half, and a one-point lead at half, but lost. Against the Aggies they cut a 20-point deficit to just four points with less than three minutes remaining, but lost. And Saturday against St. John’s, the Owls held a five-point lead with just 11 minutes left, but lost.

I sense a trend.

“I think it’s concentration, taking care of the ball late in games, being smarter basketball players, not committing fouls that are unnecessary and just learning how to win,” Cardoza said about the team’s inability to close out games.

At the same time Cardoza did feel that they got slighted on at least one occasion, against Texas A&M in the final minutes.

“We didn’t get calls that we should have gotten,” she said. “I’m not one to ever complain about the officiating, but in that game there definitely were calls that should have gone our way that were overlooked and I just didn’t think it was fair.”

But this team can’t afford to make excuses too often. This is a senior-heavy team with loads of experience and talent. Senior guards Shey Peddy and Kristen McCarthy have started right where they left off last year, averaging 13.3 and 13.5 points per game, respectively. So there are few excuses to be had.

Yes, the schedule hasn’t been friendly in recent weeks, but the coaching staff and players knew this going in and still expected to win. Wednesday’s game against No. 13 Rutgers won’t be any easier.

“We have got to get back to winning and Wednesday will be a perfect game for us,” Cardoza said. “It’s going to be a good game and I’m hoping that we do all the right things and get back to our winning ways.”

It’s too early to panic just yet, but if there’s a time to right the ship, beating their across-the-border rival would have been a good start.

Jake Adams can be reached at jake.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Women’s basketball comes up short in late comeback at Ohio State

http://temple-news.com/sports/2011/11/19/womens-basketball-comes-up-short-in-late-comeback-at-ohio-state/

(November 19, 2011)

Coach Tonya Cardoza was not pleased with her team’s performance against No. 24/25 Ohio State on Friday.

The women’s basketball team dropped their first game of the season to the Buckeyes, 70-66, in a game that was sloppy and uncharacteristic of the way the Owls played in their first two games.

“When you’re playing a team like Ohio State on their home floor you have to do just about everything right,” Cardoza said. “We committed some of the dumbest fouls in the first half, where two of our better players are sitting on the bench with 10 minutes left in the first half.”

Temple had 21 personal fouls compared to Ohio State’s 12. Cardoza was not thrilled with the way her team rebounded, especially on the offensive end, while the box score after the game indicated otherwise—39 to 37 in favor of the Owls.

“Early on we gave up offensive rebounds that hurt us,” Cardoza said. “Down the stretch we didn’t give up those offensive rebounds and we were able to secure the rebound and go down to the other end and score.”

Temple found themselves down 36-28 at the half despite having a lead four times and things didn’t start out much better in the second half. After a 6-0 Owls run the Buckeyes responded with an 11-0 run and eventually pushed the lead to 15.

The Owls answered right back, chipping away at the lead but the Buckeyes kept fighting with small runs of their own. Finally the Owls managed to cut the lead to 68-66 in the final seconds after Peddy made back-to-back three’s but that was all they could manage. Buckeyes’ senior guard Samantha Prahalis iced the game with two final free throws.

“I really don’t know where [the energy] came from,” Cardoza said about the team’s second-half effort. “I wish it was there to start the game.”

Overall the Owls played fairly well in their first game against a ranked team this season. Temple made 40 percent of their shots while holding the Buckeyes to just under 40 percent, and they also made three of their 18 attempts from beyond the arc.

But defense and sloppy play hurt the Owls. Ohio State went to the line for 31 free throws, converting 25 of those attempts, while Temple committed 16 costly turnovers. The Buckeyes received solid offensive production from Prahalis and junior guard Tayler Hill, who scored 20 points and 24 points, respectively.

“Our strategy was to try and keep them out of the paint and they got too many points in the paint,” Cardoza said. “We just have to do a better job of knowing personnel and knowing how to defend.”

The Owls’ trio of senior guards BJ Williams, Kristen McCarthy and Shey Peddy were not nearly as dominant as their first two games. Williams had the best all around game with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Peddy struggled the most with just eight points, all of them coming in the second half, before her fifth foul on the night. McCarthy led the team with 14 points on 50-percent shooting.

Despite the late comeback, there was very little positive Cardoza saw from the game.

“We expected to win the game, so it’s not a moral victory,” she said.

The Owls will stay on the road this weekend as they travel to Northern Illinois on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Owls’ defensive game plan pays off in win

http://temple-news.com/sports/2011/11/15/owls-defensive-game-plan-pays-off-in-win/

(November 15, 2011)

Senior guard trio step up in the women’s basketball season opener.

The women’s basketball team jumped on the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks 70-36 in McGonigle Hall on Friday, starting off right where they finished last season after placing third in the Atlantic Ten Conference and posting a 24-9 record.

Some things stayed the same this season for the Cherry and White, such as their suffocating defense and the play from their Big Three.

“Coach came up with a new motto going into the game, ‘Defend to win,’” junior forward Brittany Lewis said. “I think we just tried to take away their game plan, if anything.”

And some things were different, like their physicality in the post and the production they saw from their freshman class.

“As long as our guys are going out and giving 110 percent you can’t ask for much more,” Cardoza said of the post players. “I thought [Lewis] did a great job of scoring for us.”

Regardless of the similarities and differences of last year’s squad and this year’s, the Owls looked in mid-season form in their season opener. For at least one night, Temple answered all the questions facing them in the offseason.

Who would replace guard Qwedia Wallace? Senior guard BJ Williams is the third member of the “Big Three” now, with senior guards Shey Peddy and Kristen McCarthy.

Who would start in the post? Senior center Joelle Connelly and Lewis impressed in the frontcourt.
How would the freshman class—with guards Rateska Brown, Tyonna Willams and Monaye Merritt—handle running the offense when one of the starting guards are forced to sit out? Pretty well, actually, with 14 combined points.

“They looked pretty good,” Cardoza said of the three freshmen. “It was really good to be able to play [Merritt] and [Brown].”

The Owls struggled to find the rim in the first half with just 30.8 percent shooting and 28 points, but they fought off the pre-game jitters and proved why they’re a favorite in the A-10 this season, Cardoza said.

“I was very frustrated with myself that I was missing open shots and wide open layups in the first half, but I tried to stay focused and eventually I just let it go and my shot started falling,” Peddy said.

Peddy was once again the front woman of the Owls’ Big Three, scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds. She also recorded three steals, showing why she’s a defensive nightmare for the opposing team’s best player.

“I love stealing the ball,” Peddy said. “I feel like it frustrates whoever passes the ball, whoever I’m defending, and I feel like steals is the only way I’m probably going to get [A-10 Defensive Player of the Year].”

“Going into the game I told [the coaches] that [Redhawks’ junior guard Courtney Osborn] wasn’t going to score more than 12 points,” Peddy added.

Peddy frustrated Osborn all game, allowing just eight points on 2-10 shooting to the Redhawks’ leading scorer last season.

Williams also stepped up for the Owls with six points and six assists in her first game as the full-time starting point guard.

“We had open shots,” Cardoza said. “BJ [Williams] was getting players wide open shots and in the second half we just knocked them down.”

Connelly, Lewis, junior forward Natasha Thames and sophomore forward Nikki Works complimented the Big Three well, adding a physical presence on defense that was sometimes absent last season. Temple pulled in 24 offensive rebounds on the night, compared to seven by the RedHawks. Even though Connelly fouled out in the second half, the front court combined for 22 points, 27 rebounds and three blocks.

“We frustrated them and forced them into a lot of turnovers, which resulted in us going down to the other end and trying to score,” Cardoza said.

“I think game one definitely built my confidence,” Lewis said.

The Owls put on a clinic in the second half, scoring 42 points while allowing 19.

Temple outshot Miami (Ohio) 48.4 percent to 25 percent in the half and allowed just one three on the night.

And as for the third member of the “Big Three,” McCarthy, she played pretty well, too. The Owls’ current career-leading scorer knocked down 13 points to go along with six rebounds.

“They’re the guys that have led us and guided us to the point that we are,” Cardoza said of Peddy, Williams and McCarthy. “They’re our leaders.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Owls get revenge against Dukes

http://temple-news.com/sports/2011/11/12/owls-get-revenge-against-dukes/

(November 12, 2011)
Women’s volleyball snaps three-game losing streak in final weekend.

It took far longer than the team wanted, but the women’s volleyball team finally came away with the win in a nail bitter against Duquesne on Friday at McGonigle Hall.

The last time the two teams squared off was a 3-0 sweep for the Duquesne, coming off a long night for the Owls in which their flight was canceled and they were forced to arrive in Pittsburgh with little sleep. The second go-around proved much more favorable for Temple, who are in their final weekend of competition after being eliminated from the Atlantic Ten Conference playoffs last weekend.

“Going into my last few games I just want to win, no matter what,” senior outside hitter Collin Wallace said.

The home team jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in front of a rowdy crowd of 216. The Owls were hitting off Duquesne’s blocks effectively. The Dukes were on their heels for much of the first two sets, as sophomore outside hitter Gabriella Matautia put down 11 kills.

“We’ve definitely been practicing that, hitting off the block,” Matautia said. “We take the cushions from the pole and put them up as a block […] and we have to hit off the block at practice for about 20 minutes.”

Duquesne fought back, however, and was able to take the third set with .361 kill percentage. Then the wheels fell off for the Owls in the fourth set, as they found themselves down by as many as 11. The team showed visible frustration with themselves and occasionally the refs.

“We’ve always had a history of getting at it with the refs about some of the calls,” Matautia said.

“We were frustrated,” Wallace said. “We wanted to win. We were up two games and we should’ve taken it in the third.”

With the momentum clearly on the other side, the Owls were able to jump to a quick 4-0 lead in the deciding fifth set. Duquesne climbed back to a 10-8 lead, but Matautia knocked down a kill that sparked a 6-0 to retake the lead.

“I think we just wanted it more,” Wallace said. “Once we had that four-point lead and once we got that four-point lead we were just on a roll.”

“We did change our set, too,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “We made sure Tiffany set the ball a little bit off the net, so that gives the attack a little bit more room to work with. That helped us.”

The Dukes fought off three consecutive game points before Matautia went to the net with the score 14-13 thinking, “Get this last point, come on.”

Matautia put down her match-high 23rd kill of the night and sealed the deal for the Owls.

Matautia was one of four Temple players with a double-double, recording 13 digs. Freshman setter Tiffany Connatser tacked on another 47 assists and 12 digs and Wallace recorded 14 kills and 19 digs.

As a team the Owls were outplayed by Duquesne, at least on the stat sheet. The Dukes out-hit Temple .224 to .153, and recorded 17 team blocks to the home team’s 7.

“The stat sheet only says done side of the story,” Ganes said. “The kids sometimes get caught up in the stats too much, too. This is a good example to show them that stats only show one side of the story.”

Temple also attacked Duquesne’s freshman libero Patti Abshire, who struggled for much of the night despite a match high 27 digs. It’s a weak point they exploited, while having the comfort of one of the A-10’s best liberos, Ganes said, in junior Chelsea Tupuola. Tupuola recorded 19 digs on the night.

“[Tupuola] doesn’t get the credit she deserves,” Ganes said. “She’s probably the most consistent player on the team. Day in, day out I know what I’m going to get out of her.”

The Owls return to action on Sunday in the season finale against Xavier, who is second in the A-10 with a 10-4 conference mark. The team will be celebrating Senior Day, honoring setters Liz Prang and Rikia Trischuk as well as Wallace in their final game on North Broad. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. in McGonigle Hall.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Rebuild the big three

http://temple-news.com/sports/2011/11/07/rebuild-the-big-three/

(November 7, 2011)
Senior guard BJ Williams will become a member of the Big Three.

After reaching the NCAA tournament for the eighth consecutive year last season, the Owls look to try to make this year a memorable one for the seniors. The team’s “Big Three” was broken up as Qwedia Wallace graduated, but the Owls are confident that other seniors can step up and create a new outlook for the team.

Backcourt

A new part of the “Big Three”, senior guard BJ Williams will immediately step in and start at the point guard position.

Last season, Williams earned the team’s Most Improved Player Award, playing in 32 games, and averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. The Maryland native also dished out 99 assists throughout the season. Coach Tonya Cardoza stressed she wants Williams to have a much larger role and be more of a scoring threat to help make up for the loss of Wallace.

“We’re more up-tempo when [Williams] is at point and she can create for others,” Cardoza said. “Coaches know when she’s on the floor really good things happen for us. She can score, too and this year we’ll look to her to be more aggressive.”

Williams has started 14 games during her three years so far and has contributed off the bench, but will now be expected to be a major threat alongside senior guard Shey Peddy.

Peddy won a list of accolades last year in her first season at Temple. Peddy was named Big 5 Player of the Year, Team MVP, Atlantic Ten First Team, and Atlantic Ten Conference All-Defensive Team. Peddy averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while also racking up 104 steals and 137 assists. The 104 steals were good enough to set a new Temple all-time record for a single season.
But Cardoza would like her to improve her vocal leadership in her senior season.

“Obviously [Peddy’s] talented, everyone sees that, and they respect her,” Cardoza said. “But she leads by example and I’m trying to make her more vocal and pulling that out of her was a struggle, and sometimes we butt heads because of it. She understands now for us to be successful, she needs to be more of a vocal leader.”

Senior guard Kristen McCarthy’s job was one of the few guarantees heading into this season for the Owls. She already has 1,204 points in her career, good for 11th in Temple history. The only thing standing in the way of that accomplishment could be injuries, something the team hopes to avoid.

Another factor to consider is the lack of experience behind Peddy, McCarthy and Williams at guard. Four freshmen, Rateska Brown, Shaniqua Reese, Tyonna Williams and Monaye Merritt, will have to assist the seniors.

“[Williams and Merritt] are the two that are probably going to play right away for us,” Cardoza said.

Frontcourt

Juniors Natasha Thames and Brittany Lewis, and sophomore Nikki Works will all have a chance to earn a starting job at forward by the season opener, Cardoza said.

Works, the youngest of the three, saw action in 21 games last season and averaged .9 points and 1.1 rebounds a game but has shown progress during the summer.

Lewis, after transferring from Virginia Tech, played in 18 games last year and started in two contests. The 6-foot-2-inch junior averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 44 percent from the field.

Thames, the most experienced of the three, has started in 24 games in her first two years and all of her statistics have improved each year. Last season, she averaged 6.3 points and led the team with 5.5 rebounds per game.

“That was a big conversation we had going into the summer, getting that contribution from the post and every single one of them has improved,” Cardoza said. “[Works] and [Lewis] have been the biggest surprises because of their work ethic and consistency so far. I’m hoping that continues.”
Cardoza is unsure if the team will feature two forwards or a forward and a center in the season opener, much less for the season.

At center, the Owls have senior Joelle Connelly and junior Victoria Macaulay. Macaulay has more natural talent but plays with more finesse, Cardoza said. Connelly only played in 20 games last year, logging 216 minutes, but on a per-minute basis she was far more effective than Macaulay, averaging nearly half as many rebounds and points, 2.5 and 1.9, respectively, than Macaulay in a third of the time.

“[Macaulay] had some breakout games but it’s about being consistent and playing with passion every single day,” Cardoza said.

If the coaching staff isn’t impressed by either of them heading into opening day, look for the runner-up in the battle between Lewis, Works and Thames to get the nod in the fifth spot.

Jake Adams and Brandon Stoneburg can be reached at sports@temple-news.com.

TTN: Roster shapes up without Wallace

http://temple-news.com/sports/2011/11/07/roster-shapes-up-without-wallace/

(November 7, 2011)

The Owls will look to their returning starters after losing Qwedia Wallace.

After falling one game short of an Atlantic Ten Conference championship game appearance last year, the women’s basketball team finds itself in a rough spot trying to find a way to replace one of the team’s best scoring threats, former guard Qwedia Wallace.

Last season Wallace averaged 13.5 points per game and became the program’s all-time leading three-point shooter. Along with guard Shey Peddy and forward Kristen McCarthy, then juniors, Wallace was the senior leader of Temple’s “Big Three.”

“It’s huge,” coach Tonya Cardoza said of losing senior leader Wallace. “We lose one of our best three-point shooters, one of our better defenders, someone who understands the game and is willing to do whatever it takes.”

“[Wallace] had a big impact and she helped me become more comfortable on the court last year because we had a bond,” Peddy said. “I knew where she would be on the court and she knew where I would be and I played off of her.”

Wallace was an offensive force, leading the team in free-throw percentage, three-point conversions and was second in scoring behind Peddy. She played at her best against tough competition, scoring 32 points in the season opener against No. 7 Ohio State and 21 against No. 3 Duke.

“[Wallace] led by example and worked a lot harder in her senior year because she wanted to go out doing something great,” Cardoza said.

Temple lost its regular season finale against Xavier, snapping a 13-game winning streak, and was upset by Dayton a week later in the A-10 semifinals. The loss hurt Wallace, who never won a conference championship in four seasons on North Broad.

“After we didn’t win the A-10 championship last year, it just made me think, ‘Dang, [Wallace] doesn’t have another shot at this,’” McCarthy said.

“Winning a title would’ve been a wonderful accomplishment at Temple,” Wallace said in an email. “Every ball player’s dream is to win some kind of championship.”

Three weeks later the Owls lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to No. 9 Notre Dame, and the Wallace era was finished.

Now the team must find a way to replace a player who scored 1,190 points in 125 career games, and someone who was a vocal leader. She spent much of her first two seasons as a contributor off the bench, and then excelled in her junior year as the first player off the bench. Last season was her first full season as a starter and she became an integral member of the “Big Three” with Peddy and McCarthy, who combined for 40.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per game.

“My time at Temple went by really fast,” Wallace said. “I grew as a person and a basketball player. I just remember all of the hard work I went through and thinking that I made it.”

“Watching [Wallace] from her sophomore year to her senior year was drastically different and that was mostly from her having confidence in herself and not letting little things get to her,” Cardoza said.

Now the team is looking to senior guard BJ Williams to step in as the new member of the Big Three. Cardoza feels the offense will be more fast-paced with Williams as the point guard, but the team knows she has big shoes to fill and nothing is a guarantee.

“Now we have [Williams] to step up and be part of the new Big Three,” Peddy said. “But we have a lot of making up to do.”

The Owls also acknowledged that whoever fills the two remaining starting spots in the front court will also have the added pressure of filling in the hole. Junior forward Brittany Lewis, who is fighting for one of those spots, sees the post players pushing themselves every day to have a bigger impact.

The current crop of seniors are even more motivated to bring a conference championship back to Temple after watching one of their best players leave without one. Peddy and McCarthy are determined to avoid the same fate.

“Seeing how relentless she was, this year I have a ‘Qwedia mindset’ like that,” Peddy said.

“I don’t want my season to end, because this time when it ends, it really ends,” McCarthy said. “It’s over.”

Jake Adams can be reached at jake.adams@temple.edu.

TTN: Volleyball drops third straight A-10 match

http://temple-news.com/sports/2011/10/22/volleyball-drops-third-straight-a-10-match/

(October 22, 2011)

The women’s volleyball team returned to North Broad for a four-game home stand against George Washington Friday night. But the comforts of home didn’t help the Owls.

The Owls were swept in straight sets for the third consecutive match, dropping to 2-6 in the Atlantic-Ten Conference. After two losses last weekend at Saint Louis and Duquesne, the team was hoping to bounce back, but it wasn’t meant to be.

“We were excited, it’s always nice to be at home and play in front of your friends and your family,” freshman setter Tiffany Connatser said.

“This was definitely an opponent we wanted to beat, especially because they had a similar record, at least before this weekend,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “This is definitely somebody we’re going to fight for the fifth or sixth spot to go into the conference tournament.”

Temple fought hard in the opening set, but with the score 9-10, the Colonials went on a 7-2 run to take the first set handily, 25-19. After another close battle to start the second set, the Owls found themselves down 14-16 when they used a time out.

“I gave them a couple indications of what they could do in order to fix [the blocking],” Ganes said. “I really told them we’ve got to pick up our defense.”

Temple responded, taking a 22-20 lead, but the wheels came off and George Washington took four of the last five points to win the set.

“If you look at the last four points we made a lot of errors that basically cost us the set,” Ganes said.
“It always hurts to lose that close,” junior libero Chelsea Tupuola said. “But we played so hard throughout that whole match and losing by two points was probably the worst feeling.”

The Owls were unable to recover and dropped the third set, 25-19. Only sophomore outside hitter Elyse Burkert reached double-digit kills, with 10. Tupuola had another spectacular night in the back court, however, recording 21 digs.

The defense managed to hold the Colonials’ best hitter, junior outside hitter Lauren Whyte (287 kills this season) to just eight kills on 29 attempts, but they were torched by senior middle hitter MacKenzie Knox’s 15 kills. Temple’s size at the net was their ultimate undoing.

“George Washington, I’ve got to give them credit, they did a really good job exploiting [size] and that really hurt us,” Ganes said.

“It’s frustrating, especially in our conference right now we know that everybody’s just beating everybody, so anything is up for grabs,” Tupuola said.

For the offense to regain some ground in the A-10, the offense also has to take a big step. None of the Owls three leading scores—senior outside hitter Collin Wallace, sophomore outside hitter Gabriella Matuatia and Burkert—were able to take over the match.

It’s something that’s plagued the team of late. Poor passing and serve-receive, as well as a miniscule .094 hitting percentage, are things the team will have to improve before Saturday’s game against Charlotte.

“It would have helped if our hitters would have finished plays to take pressure off the block, and that’s something we just didn’t get done today,” Ganes said.

“Everyone’s scouted us, we’ve scouted everyone [in the A-10],” Connatser said. “If we’re more consistent with our passing and our serve-receive then I’ll have three options every time and be able to throw the ball around a little more.”

The Owls return to action on Saturday at 7 p.m. in McGonigle against A-10 rival Charlotte.

Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu